Unwavering Loyalties
by Cariel
Summary: Former handmaiden to Senator Amidala, Dormé's service to the Skywalker family did not end upon her mistress's death. A hopeless romantic, she remains loyal to whom will always be Anakin.


Dormé's footsteps grew more confident as she meandered down the hallway that would lead to Vader's private quarters on the Imperial starship. He required her presence and she was not one to refuse her former mistress's husband.

After the death of Padmé, which shook the both of them to the core, Dormé wanted nothing more than to continue her service to the Skywalker family, by means of serving the new Dark Lord of the Sith.

She pressed her palm to the security panel so it would scan her fingerprints and grant her access. The door slid open and she stepped into the darkened room. It was always dark, with only the slight blue haze from the pressurizing unit which control the inner chambers so that the Dark Lord could move around without the protective helmet and gear.

'My lord?' she asked, like the non-Force-sensitive woman she was, unable to feel his presence.

There was a hiss and flicker from the atmosphere controls which caught her attention.

She inhaled sharply when she felt his ungloved, artificial hand touch her shoulder. Dormé swiftly turned around to face him, her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

'You came,' Vader said, his voice far less metallic without the mask, though still jarring.

His eyes. Oh the despair she found there. It was haunting. Arresting.

Dormé bowed politely to him. 'Yes, of course, my lord, as you commanded.'

'I command nothing from you,' he replied as though emotion was lost to him.

Dormé didn't quite understand. 'You do not command--'

'You are here of your own free will. I did not command, merely requested.'

Dormé studied his eyes, overlooking the scarred appearance. He was still and always would be Anakin to her. Poor Anakin. How you have suffered so! This was all Obi-Wan Kenobi's fault. Kenobi betrayed him. Betrayed him and killed his beloved Padmé! He deserved revenge, retribution for what the Jedi did to him and his family.

'Yes, my lord,' she acquiesced. 'I am here because I want to be here...for you.' If there were any possible way she could help him with his pain, not the physical pain, but emotional...if there were anything at all she could do for him, she would.

'You are so like _her_,' he stated, not expecting a reply. His hand moved from her shoulder to her cheek.

In response, she reached up to hesitantly touch his hand on her cheek, closing her eyes as she leaned into the palm of his rough hand. A tear slipped down her cheek thinking of her former mistress and how she had failed her and their child.

He did not flinch from her touch.

'Anakin,' she whispered, affecting the tonal qualities of Padmé's. To everyone else, he was Darth Vader, but Dormé knew better. Though it was only here in his quarters that she was allowed to refer to him by his true name, Anakin.

'Ani...' She was unafraid, trusting. She didn't register those he had killed, for those had all been deserving of his wrath. He was the victim in all of this.

With his artificial hand, he loosed the pins from her hair, so the long brown locks fell past her shoulder in all-too-familiar waves.

Dormé fiercely protected and served the Skywalkers, one of the few that knew of their relationship all of these years. She had always wanted a romance like theirs, so passionate, so beautiful. Her love blinded her from her envy, but now the tables were turning. She took her chance and rose up on balls of her feet to place a kiss on his disfigured lips.

One could only lose themselves for a time before reality came crashing down before their eyes.

The holocom receiver flashed and the Emperor's cloaked visage appeared. 'Lord Vader.'

Vader broke away to look at the holo, but did not move away from her.

'A Jedi enclave has been found on Kessel,' the Palpatine commanded, his voice rasping. 'Go there immediately and wipe them out.'

'Yes, master,' Vader replied.

He looked back at Dormé and she was unable to tell what was going through his head or what he was feeling. She silently helped him with the outer layers of his suit and with the helmet as though she were assisting Padmé with her ornate gowns.

Before any commands or further 'requests' could be made, Dormé said, 'I will be here when you get back.'

With the helmet on, his emotions were unreadable and he moved to the doorway without another word.

Dormé didn't know that the last bit of good in him would die with her that night.

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A/N: This was just a little plotbunny that wouldn't leave me alone. I had a hard time keeping this in just Dormé's POV and to be honest? I cannot _stand_ LoveSpongeAnakin/Vader. His kiss is like poison and he slowly kills everyone he 'loves'. I'm an Obi-Wan fangirl myself, so this was certainly a challenge!

Obi-Wan**♥** 's Sabé.


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